Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerFirst Assistant Attorney General Phillip Kwon does not have enough votes to advance past a Senate panel slated to begin hearings Thursday, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.

TRENTON — One of Gov. Chris Christie’s two state Supreme Court nominees lacks sufficient votes to advance toward confirmation, sources said today, as the governor’s office worked to gain support before Senate hearings Thursday.

The nominee, Phillip Kwon, was said to be one vote short of approval by the 13-member Senate Judiciary Committee, according to two sources familiar with the parties’ strategies who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss vote counts.

At a news conference in Glen Gardner today, a defiant Christie said he had no "Plan B."

"Plan A is the only plan," the Republican governor added. "Despite all the kind of political back and forth that happens, members of the state Senate in both parties understand how important these decisions are."

Approval of Kwon, 44, the state’s first assistant attorney general, rested on a battle of wills between Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who according to additional sources who were close to events but requested anonymity, was lining up votes against Kwon.

Sweeney declined to comment tonight.

Other sources said state Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), a committee member, planned to go on vacation Thursday and would not attend the hearings. It was unclear how he would have voted, or whether another senator will be temporarily sitting in for him. Smith could not be reached for comment.

Governor Christie says he is confident with his Supreme Court nominationsGov. Chris Christie believes he has nominated two very qualified and diverse candidates in Phillip Kwon and Bruce Harris for the state Supreme Court. He said that any "objective analysis of the backgrounds and careers" of his nominees should lead to confirmation. (Video by Andre Malok / The Star-Ledger)

Kwon’s nomination, which along with that of Bruce Harris, 61, the mayor of Chatham borough, was announced by Christie in January, has been in jeopardy since The Star-Ledger disclosed that a business owned by family members had settled a federal lawsuit in December.

Senate Democrats also have questions about his party affiliation, since Kwon was a Republican for years in New York and only registered as an independent here last April.

Kwon, who if approved would be the first Asian-American justice, most likely will need the votes of at least two Democrats, along with those of all five Republicans, to gain committee appproval and have his nomination move to the full Senate.

Harris, who would be the first openly gay justice, appeared to have more support on the panel than Kwon, although the sources said the vote would not be unanimous.

Nonetheless, the governor said he was confident both of his nominees would gain approval. "Any objective analysis of their background or qualifications, their careers and their personal integrity would lead any objective person to vote yes," he said. "So I’m hopeful."

The judiciary panel, made up of eight Democrats and five Republicans, has been the focus of intense pressure from public employee unions, advocacy groups and the governor’s office in recent days as supporters and opponents of the nominees jockeyed for votes.

"In terms of vote counts, head counts, I don’t participate in those type of things," Christie said. "I have staff that do that. I assume that they’re in the midst of doing that and that if there’s anything I need to know I’m sure they’ll come and tell me."

In a continuing effort to fend off critics, Christie’s office today released a letter dated Feb. 15 from 20 former federal prosecutors supporting Kwon’s nomination and extolling his qualifications. All of them worked under Christie when he was U.S. attorney for New Jersey.

"Phil Kwon’s experience and qualifications to serve on our state’s highest court are impeccable," the letter said. "As an associate justice, we believe that Phil Kwon will bring the fortitude, compassion, knowledge and experience worthy of the New Jersey Supreme Court."

The nomination of Kwon has been under a cloud since it was disclosed that federal authorities last year accused the wine and liquor store owned by his wife and mother of breaking down more than $2 million into 222 bank deposits to avoid scrutiny by the IRS.

In December, the store forfeited nearly $160,000 to settle the suit and admitted no liability. An attorney for the store has said that all taxes were paid, no criminal charges were filed in the case, and Kwon was not named as a defendant.

Senate Democrats planned to question Kwon about who made the deposits, what he knew about them, what the money was used for and if any of it was tied to the purchase of his $2.3 million home in Closter in 2010. The store’s attorney has denied the money helped buy the house.